Alaska Pride is a political blog dealing with issues of particular interest to Alaskans and those interested in Alaska. As Alaska's most politically incorrect blog, Alaska Pride addresses multiple issues ranging from politics, the environment, religion, and even race. I also seek to educate Outsiders about the real Alaska - why we cost more, and why it's a worthwhile investment for America.

One objection to the I/M testing program is that it's disruptive. One must take time away from other activities to get it done. However, Davis County in Utah, under the gun for possible excessive particle emissions, has found a way to monitor vehicle emissions without requiring motorists to automatically take their vehicle in to be tested periodically. In fact, if your vehicle meets emission standards, you would NEVER be required to take your vehicle in to be tested.

The catch - you would have to allow a $50 transmitter to be installed on your vehicle.

Here's how it would work. A transmitter, estimated to cost around $50, can be installed on vehicles with an onboard diagnostics program, which is the chip in the vehicle's engine that constantly measures its emissions data. The transmitter could broadcast that data to special receivers in Davis County. If the data reached a certain polluting level, the receiver could notify the health department, which could then inform the driver of the polluting vehicle by mail. Media stories from the Deseret News and KSL Channel 5, with video embedded below:

The five counties constituting Utah's Wasatch Front (Cache, Weber, Davis, Salt Lake and Utah counties) are expected to have difficulty in meeting the new Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 standard of 35 micrograms per meter, a reduction from the old 65 mcg. They have three years to come up with a plan to reach the new standard. Davis County's initiative is designed to help reach that goal.

Some of the issues which must be worked out in advance include possible privacy issues, whether in-car transmitters would be mandatory or voluntary and how the transmitters would change revenue and expenditure patterns. Private stations that perform vehicle inspections might object because of the possibility of losing appreciable revenue if everyone switched to transmitters. But not everyone would necessarily be able to switch to transmitters; vehicles without onboard diagnostic chips could not use the transmitters.

Alaskans might be more resistant to this technology than Utahns. Anchorage is one of the few cities to abandon a photo radar program after a community-wide outcry arose against it. Many objected most strongly to the fact that the photo radar contractor was keeping 70 percent of the fines, so technophobia was not the central issue. But there's also an issue with "refereeing"; how could one verify whether or not a transmitter's working properly, and how could one appeal the process?

Still, the idea seems promising enough to be worthy of a public airing. This could effectively bridge the respective arguments for and against I/M testing.

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About Me

It's time for Americans to take America back! America has been in the hands of special interests too long. Sometimes it's necessary to set aside the labels; while I prefer the conservative solution, sometimes you gotta go to the left. Sometimes capitalism requires an occasional daub of socialism to smooth its sharper edges.